


The Turning

by Fmfan1980



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-15
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2018-12-15 16:34:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11809905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fmfan1980/pseuds/Fmfan1980
Summary: An AU "What if?" take on BtVS S06E06 (All the Way). What if Dawn was bitten by Justin the vampire during Halloween when they were in the stolen car?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, locations or plots from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This is just a work of fiction which has only been able to come into being because of the universe that Mr. Whedon's created

Justin was so thirsty as he sat in his car with Dawn on the passenger seat. She was coyly looking out the window while he had his hands on the steering wheel. His hands were at the one and three o'clock positions and if his heart could beat, he would have felt it racing. He glanced at the young girl who was wearing simple jeans and T-Shirt that accentuated her curves and profile. He licked his lips while staring at her neck, and then he glanced at the window… and saw the reflection of her eyes as they looked out into a dimly lit section of the park where he parked his car.

Her hazel eyes. He stared at her hazel eyes.

Justin's eyes then travelled from the reflection on the window to Dawn's cream coloured neck. He could hear her heart racing. He could hear the blood traveling through the large vein in her neck as it gently pulsed.

He was so thirsty.

Justin licked his lips as he leaned in closer to Dawn's neck.

He was so thirsty that drinking Dawn's blood was all he could think of.

Justin knew he had to take it slowly- he didn't want to frighten the poor girl. He slowly reached out with his hand, and gently lay it on the top of her hand which was laying on her left thigh. Dawn looked back at him and pulled her hand back sharply, "you're cold."

"It's the car's air-conditioning," he said as he turned his body on the driver seat and faced Dawn. He nodded at the air-conditioning vents and placed his hand over the flow of cool air before placing that same hand on Dawn's right cheek. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath once the cool touch of his skin gently landed on hers, "see. I told you it's from the air-conditioning."

He and Dawn looked at each other for a few seconds before the both of them leaned in towards each other. It was only less than ten minutes ago that Dawn's friend, Janice, and Justin's friend, Zack left the car. The two of them were kissing vigorously in the back seat while Dawn, who hadn't been kissed before, could only sit nervously in the passenger seat looking out the windshield. It was after Zack and Janice left, for some much needed privacy, that the nervous energy in the air started to lessen.

And now, Dawn started to feel the nervous energy dissipate as she and Justin kissed while thinking to herself excitedly, 'my first kiss! This is my first kiss!' The both of them were already kissing for several seconds when Justin bit on Dawn's lower lip a bit too hard. They parted and, while Dawn's eyes were closed as she yelped, Justin already vamped out. He was aware that his fangs and eyebrow ridges were showing as he stared at Dawn for a split second before he regained control and fought the urge to bite into Dawn's neck immediately. He heard from the one who turned him that it felt good to see the look of fear in their victim's face when they laid eyes upon their demonic façade just before going in for the kill.

And Justin loved seeing that fear on the faces of humans. But there was something about Dawn he was attracted to. He wanted to sire her so that she could be his companion, at least until he found someone better. So, he reverted to his human face just as Dawn opened her eyes and stared at him before taking her finger to the left corner of her bottom lip. Dawn then gingerly brushed her finger on the area where Justin bit down, and said he bit a little too hard.

"Sorry," he whispered before leaning in and gently kissing Dawn once again. As for Dawn, her mind was pre-occupied with the feeling of their lips touching, the feeling of his left hand travelling down her arm to her waist and then to her back. She felt herself being pulled towards him as she instinctively placed an arm around the back of his neck while his other hand ran through the hair at the back of her head.

For that moment in time, as Justin moved back her hair from the side of her face while kissing down her jawbone and to her neck, all Dawn could think was, 'I wonder if Janice is having this much fun.' As he kissed her neck, Dawn gasped as her heart raced. There was something telling her to take it slow… in fact, she could hear Buffy in her head telling her to take it slow. Actually, Buffy was in Dawn's mind with her hands on her waist and a scowl on her face demanding that Dawn stop what she was doing.

"Justin, I…" Dawn wanted to say that she wasn't ready. That she didn't want to take it too far. But before she could say anything to stop Justin, Dawn felt the hand at the back of her head hold her down in a vice-like manner while two fangs penetrated the skin on her neck. Dawn opened her eyes wide and gave a small scream while her left hand was flailing. She slammed her left fist on the dashboard as tears travelled down her cheeks while she heard slurping sounds from Justin as he punctured her skin and drank her blood.

Dawn's right hand clenched into a fist and was repeatedly bearing down on Justine's back as he latched down onto her neck. Dawn cried out in pain as she felt her body going limp and cold. Her vision started to blur as she heard her own heartbeat slowing down. And it continued to slow down as Justin hummed while he drank Dawn's blood.

"B… B… uffy…" Dawn stammered while she tried to mentally shout for Buffy. She wanted her sister. She wanted Buffy to save her. Dawn was afraid, "Bu… uff… eeeee," she whispered as she closed her eyes while her heartbeat slowed further. It was several seconds later that Dawn felt Justin unlatched his fangs from her throat. She heard a growl before hearing a male voice yelling her name. But Dawn couldn't think. The voice was so familiar to her as she tried to place it to anyone she knew.

And as she felt warm, thick liquid entering her mouth and travelling down her throat, Dawn heard the voice yelling once again as it got closer. And then she was covered in darkness.

It took a few seconds, but Giles saw Dawn in the car through the windshield. He already dusted the vampire who nearly bit into Janice, who told him before running away where Dawn was located. And now, he found the car. He found Dawn slumped over in the arms of a vampire who was feeding her his blood.

And he screamed out in rage. The Watcher gripped the stake tight in his hand as he ran to the driver side door, opened it, and then grabbed the collar of the vampire. Giles pulled him out into the open while the unconscious Dawn, blood on her lips, fell back on the passenger seat. Giles' heart was racing as he stared at the lifeless Dawn before he turned his head and stared at the young man looking back at him while he was laying on the ground. Justin wiped his lips with the back of his hand before he moved to get onto his feet while Giles rushed around the car to the passenger side and opened the door.

"No," Giles choked as he stared down at the pale, lifeless Dawn. He hesitated for a second before he leaned down and, with tears travelling down his cheeks, searched desperately for a pulse. "Dawn, no… why? Why did you lie and…. Dawn? Dawn? Wake up… please, wake up, and…"

"And nothing, old man," Justin said as he grabbed Giles from the back and flung him to the ground in front of the car. As Giles hit the ground, he released a sob as he remembered Dawn's lifeless body. At that same time, Giles heard car engines all around him. He slowly got to his feet with tears blurring his vision and looked around before turning back to Justin who leaned back on the hood of the car.

"Dawn's mine, old man," Justin said before Giles looked away, his heart racing, and a crushing weight on his shoulders at the thought of Buffy's reaction to the news that Dawn was dead. And judging from the blood on her lips and what he had seen earlier, Giles knew that Justin had already fed her his blood. And that brought another crushing weight down on Giles; the fact that he had to tell Buffy her sister would have to be killed since she would become a vampire.

'No, no, there has to be another way,' Giles thought to himself as he stared at the cars parked around him while the doors opened and their occupants got out. 'Willow…. Willow can re-ensoul her, and… yes. That's it.'

"This guy bothering you, Justin?" a larger young man asked as he walked towards them after getting out of his car.

"He's a snack," Justine said pushing himself off the hood of his car and walking towards Giles before swinging a fist at the older man's head. However, Justin didn't account for the anger etched on Giles' face as he blocked the fist with his left arm before taking the stake in his right hand and stabbing Justin. Giles cried out in anger and sorrow as he shoved the stake into Justin's unbeating heart.

"Die!" he yelled before stepping back as Justin turned to dust. Seeing what happened to Justin, the larger young man who asked Justin earlier if Giles was causing him trouble, vamped out. As did the other newcomers. Giles stared at all of them, spinning around on his heels as he glared at the young men and women who were baring their fangs at him.

He was surrounded.

"Giles!" yelled Buffy before she dashed out from another area of the park with Spike by her side. The two newcomers eyed the surrounding vampires who were growling at her, Spike, and Giles. Buffy and Spike looked around at the Vampires surrounding them, and then at Giles who had his hands rolled into fists while his face was etched in sadness. Buffy saw the tears in Giles' eyes while Spike asked if he found Dawn; and all the Slayer could do was shake her head while her lips parted as a feeling of fear chilled her to her bones at the sight of sorrow on Giles' fce, "no, no, no, no… Giles? No, no…"

"I… I was late.. I… I'm sorry, Buffy," Giles sputtered as freshly formed tears fell down his cheeks. Spike looked past Giles, at the car, while Buffy placed both hands over her mouth. Spike rushed past Giles towards the open passenger door, grabbed it while Buffy yelled out "No!" He stared in stunned silence at the pale body of the young girl he called his 'Lil'Bit'. Spike stumbled back as he stared at Dawn's body before looking up and staring at the vampires approaching them.

"We don't kill on Halloween!" he snarled at the other vampires as he vamped out and rushed up to his feet, "it's the rule!"

"Who cares?" one of the vampires shrugged his shoulders while a female vampire walked next to him.

Enraged, Spike growled and then leapt at the vampire. And that was the beginning of a mass brawl. Buffy was still stunned- but at the same time she was angry. She felt her body heat up in rage as she turned and staked the first vampire that attacked her. She screamed in rage before she leapt at another vampire who was pushed back after a kick to the head.

Spike too was enraged as he dusted one vampire before being set upon by two others. Spike shoved one of them, a young woman, off him before he turned to dust the blonde male who pulled an arm back to punch him. The melee continued with dust being kicked up in the air from Buffy, Spike, and Giles using their rage to fight the Vampires as they fell one by one.

And then, a few minutes later, there were only two vampires remaining. The two of them, seeing that their friends were dusted, turned and started to run. Spike told Buffy to stay with Dawn's body before he was about to run after the two who were running away. However, he stopped and turned, as did Buffy and Giles upon hearing a loud scream of pain coming from the car.

"Dawn!" yelled Buffy who dashed to the passenger side door where she started to hear 'thump' sounds. She ran around the car with Spike and Giles close behind and saw Dawn convulsing on the passenger side seat. Her upper body was violently convulsing, her legs were flailing, her arms hitting the dashboard hard with 'thump' sounds, and her eyes were squeezed tight. "Dawn!" yelled Buffy once again as Giles and Spike looked on in stunned silence. Giles knew he didn't feel any pulse from Dawn earlier, and as he looked at Spike.. he heard the vampire whisper that Dawn didn't have a heartbeat.

"Giles! Giles!" a hysterical Buffy was crying out as she brought her arms under and around Dawn's arms pits and was about to pull her out of the car, "help me… please, help me.. I…"

"AAARRRRHHHHH," Dawn roared in pain as Buffy pulled her out while Giles rushed around Buffy and then reached down and placed his hands on Dawn's back while Spike grabbed Dawn's flailing legs.

"Buffy!" yelled Giles over Dawn's screams of pain, "the boy she was with was a vampire and.. and he fed her his blood."

"No!" yelled Buffy as she looked down at Dawn. She could see the stains of blood on the young girl's lips, but Buffy didn't care. "Dawn's not dead, Dawn's not dead."

"I… oh Lord, Buffy, I felt for her pulse, and…." Giles stammered.

"She…. She has no pulse, pet," Spike struggled to speak as he stared at Dawn screaming in pain.

"She is not dead!" yelled Buffy as she and the others lay her down on the hard ground. She then looked up at Spike and Giles in anger, "she is not dead, she is…" Buffy's voice then broke as tears ran down her eyes, tears that were kept back during the fight by her anger. But now… now the fight was over.. and it felt as if a dam burst. Buffy knew that Spike and Giles were right; Dawn's body was deathly cold, Buffy couldn't feel a pulse but Dawn's body was still screaming in pain. The Slayer knew that a vampire sires more vampires by feeding on the blood of their victims and then, once the victim was near death, the Vampire would himself and feed the victim their blood. Buffy knew that the transformation would take hours, and was painless for the victim as they died.

"She is not dead," Buffy whimpered as she shimmied to Dawn's side and grabbed her hand, "she is not dead. She… wouldn't leave me."

"Buffy," Giles' voice cracked as he held Buffy's shoulders while tears fell to the hard ground. Spike kneeled next to Buffy while he gently placed a hand on Dawn's ankle. The young girl's body slowly went deathly still. The only sounds in the suddenly silent park were Buffy sobbing as she begged Dawn to stay with her.

"I have no one else, Dawnie," Buffy cried as she held Dawn's left hand with both of hers. "Don't leave me. Please, Dawnie… don't… urgh!"

What happened next was something Buffy was unprepared for. Buffy saw Dawn snap open her eyes, her yellow eyes. She saw Dawn turn to her side and used her other hand to wrap her fingers tightly around Buffy's throat. Dawn then turned and, using her momentum, swung a surprised Buffy over her body by the throat and then flung her. Buffy landed, and then rolled, onto the hard ground with an audible 'ooofff' sound escaping her lips. Giles and Spike then shot up to their feet and stepped back as they watched Dawn get up to her feet.

"Dawn?" Giles said as he and Spike stood unmoving, the both of them in shock that not only did Dawn turn into a vampire in what seemed to be record time- a few minutes after being sired. But Dawn had no eyebrow ridges or any other demonic appearances on her face except for yellow eyes and the fangs.

"Dawn?" Buffy groaned as she rolled to her side after hitting the ground. She turned around and saw Dawn, her back to Buffy, as she leaned forward and snarled at Giles and Spike who had their eyes opened wide in shock and disbelief. "Dawn?" Buffy groaned, her entire body and throat in pain, as she slowly got to her feet. Dawn turned and stared at her with those yellow eyes, and Buffy shook her head.

"No," Buffy whispered. Dawn then growled and rushed at Buffy. But the Slayer didn't make a move. Her body was stiff as she watched her baby sister running at her. Buffy's mind went blank as her stake, which dropped out of her hand went she was flung by Dawn, lay on the ground close by. But Buffy couldn't think. She could see Dawn coming at her, but she couldn't move; and her mind was stuck… she could force her body to move, "Dawnie. Dawnie… no…"

Just as Dawn was nearly on her, the young girl's lips wide open and her fangs out, Buffy saw someone shove Dawn out of the way. The young girl fell onto the ground as Buffy heard another growl while Giles yelled for her as he ran towards her.

"Lil'Bit," Spike, the one who shoved her away from Buffy, growled as he vamped out, "you're in there somewhere. I know it. I… I can't let you do something you'd regret later, and…" Dawn then growled out at Buffy, Spike, and Giles. Her eyes showed how enraged she was before starting running to her left, away from the three people.

"Spike," Giles said, "you need to subdue her. At least keep her from feeding. Do what… oh Lord… what you have to do."

"Giles?" Spike asked, "what are you…"

"Buffy…" Giles glanced at the still stunned Buffy, and then back at Spike, "she's in shock. Spike, you need to stop Dawn. I'll go to Willow and Tara and tell them what happened. We need to prepare the re-ensouling ritual. You need to capture her, but… but… if…"

"I'll catch her," Spike said, "and I'll hold her. I'll contact you when I have her." Giles then nodded his head before Spike rushed off after Dawn. Giles turned back to Buffy as she fell onto her knees after Spike ran into the trees.

"Buffy?" Giles gently said while wiping the tears from his eyes, "Buffy?"

"I lost her," Buffy whispered with a far-away look in her eyes, "I lost her."

TBC.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Sunnydale, Now.**

Dawn saw a red tint colouring her vision while a screaming hiss rang from her ears. As Dawn ran through the dimly lit park, she felt a thirst take her over… a thirst that demanded to be quenched. Dawn felt her shoes hit the ground, and then felt the green grass crumple down onto the hard soil as she ran. She smelled the air and, while she ran, narrowed her eyes and looked back over her left shoulder at Spike chasing after her. Opening her mouth, Dawn snarled at him before turning her head back to the front just before she deftly moved to the left to avoid a tree. But she continued running without a break.

If she could hear anything other than the buzzing in her ears, she would have heard Spike yelling out her name. But she couldn't hear him. And even if she could, the thirst was too much for her to bear. Dawn instinctively knew that she couldn't feed off of Spike since he was dead; she felt her mind burning as memories seemed to move further and further out of reach. She tried to hold on to her memories of Buffy and Giles, of Xander and Anya, and of Willow and Tara but those memories were being pushed back with only one single thought taking over her very being.

She was so thirsty. So very thirsty.

Dawn then smelled something, or rather someone. Two scents actually. And her mouth started to water.

Dawn ran faster than she ever had before. She whizzed past the trees and bushes while the branches swayed and the leaves rustled from the gentle warm breeze that brushed past them even after Dawn and Spike rushed past. Speaking of Spike, he was starting to get closer to the brunette girl he called 'Lil Bit'.

"Lil Bit!" Spike yelled again the closer he got. When he was a few inches away, he reached out with his arms and then growled before he leapt. Roaring with his vampire face activated, Spike grabbed onto Dawn's shoulders and then pulled her back down onto the grass. They rolled on the uneven ground as an older couple watched in confusion at the man and young woman snarling at each other. "Get out of here!" snarled Spike as he looked up at the terrified older couple who were taken aback at the demonic face staring back at them, "run! Go..!"

Not giving a second thought, the older couple ran as fast as they could towards the nearby parking lot where they parked their car. They didn't look back over their shoulder as they ran away. If they did, they would have seen Spike stare down the yellow eyed and fanged Dawn whose wrists he was pressing down on the ground while straddling her hips. While his tight grip held down Dawn's wrists, and so she was unable to move her arms about, she was struggling to wriggle out of his grasp while she roared and snarled at him.

"Dawn!" yelled Spike as he stared down at the young girl he knew, the same girl he helped look after when Buffy died facing Glory. But this was also, the girl who looked like no other vampire he had ever seen, "stop!" But Dawn continued to growl as she tried to get Spike off her as she tried to use her legs to knock him loose. But it was unsuccessful. "Dawn! Lil Bit! Stop. Stop… calm down." Spike returned to his human face as he stared at the struggling Dawn who was now whining as she simply looked up at him. HE looked down at her yellow eyes, human-looking face, and then at her fangs before going back to her eyes, "what happened to you?"

Slowly but surely, Dawn calmed down – she stopped trying to free herself - while she stared at Spike. And Spike looked relieved as he closed his eyes and released a sigh, even though he didn't breathe. He was about to tightened his grip, but not too tight, so that he could pull her up and then turn her around while grabbing her hands behind her back. His plan then was to take her to his crypt where he had some pigs blood which Dawn could feed on. He guessed that Dawn was thirsty, just as he was when he first turned into a Vampire. Spike was about to go ahead with his plan- he tightened his hands around her wrists - when suddenly he felt Dawn grinding her hips against his crotch.

"Hey…!" he yelled looking back at the smiling Dawn with surprise and a hint of disgust etched on his face. However, the surprise was all Dawn needed. He loosened his grip on her wrists, and Dawn then ripped her hands away from his grasp. And before he knew what was happening, Dawn grabbed his head and then pulled herself up, and at the same time pulled his head down to her oncoming forehead. She headbutted his nose, which made him yell out in pain before bringing his hands up to cover his bleeding nose.

Taking the chance, Dawn then delivered a punch to the side of his head. Dawn knew Spike wouldn't hit her back, at the very least he would hesitate, and so while Spike was groaning in pain and holding the side of his head, Dawn pushed him off and then shot up to her feet. Dawn then kicked his abdomen once, and then jumped over his body when he tried to grab her leg. And then, facing his back, Dawn kicked his upper back, followed by a kick to his lower back, and then the side of his head.

With Spike now groaning in pain as he rolled to his back on the hard ground, Dawn growled at him before she ran towards the older couple. She ran, nearing them as they hurried into their nearby parked car. But, she was too late. The older man slammed the door shut and then drove off in a hurry.

And Dawn was still thirsty. She sniffed the air, she listened for any sounds being carried in the air. But there was nothing; she didn't smell anything, and she couldn't hear anything other than the buzzing sound in her ears. It was already night, and people knew to avoid places that didn't have too many people; and it made her wonder about that older couple. If she could think straight, Dawn would have thought they were simply tourists who didn't know any better. Right now, they were food that escaped her.

But then she smelled perfume. Dawn turned to her left as Spike opened his eyes slowly. He caught a glimpse, a blurry glimpse of Dawn before she ran off. Groaning, Spike was trying to get his bearings while he slowly got to his feet, and then, grabbing the side of his head, stumbled after Dawn. "Dawn!" he slurred while getting up to his feet.

Dawn ran as fast as she could towards the scent that was coming towards her General direction. She licked her lips as her eyes, her vision now tinted in deep red, focused on the girl who was calling out to her. At least that's what Dawn thought. She couldn't hear the girl's, Janice's, voice. All Dawn knew was that she was heading for her. Dawn's memories were so jumbled up because of the buzzing in her ear and the thirst that she didn't care if she knew the girl or not.

Once they were closer, Janice raised her arms up to her sides while she tried to come to a stop with her eyes wide open in fear at the form of her best friend. Dawn released a growl as Janice slid on the grass and then fell onto the ground as she stared at the oncoming Dawn in fear. Janice stumbled up and then was about to turn around and run away from Dawn, screaming 'Dawn, no!', before the latter leapt and grabbed Janice's shoulders. Dawn then pushed the screaming and crying Janice, face-up, down onto the hard ground.

Dawn, whose thirst had taken her over as the buzzing in her ears turned into a loud whine that tuned out everything, including Janice's screams, then roughly tilted Janice's' head to the left and sank her fangs into her skin. Dawn then felt warm blood enter her mouth before she started to make slurping sounds. All the while, Janice was screaming… her face wincing in pain, begging Dawn to stop while she stared up at the starlit night with tears flowing down her face.

"Please, Dawn. No!" Janice cried out. Her cries got softer and softer as her body started to get cold. She felt weaker while her eyes started to get heavier. She placed a hand on the back of Dawn's head while feeling the brunettes tongue lapping the blood escaping her body. Janice whispered, "why?" before Dawn tightened her hold on Janice's head, and her other arm tightened around Janice's waist while her fangs latched harder into the jugular vein that ran down Janice's neck. Dawn wanted to drink every single drop from Janice's slowly paling body.

The more Dawn's thirst was quenched, the more she moaned as her body trembled in pleasure. In a few seconds, the buzzing sounds in her ears were gone, only to be replaced by the sounds of crickets and the slurping of blood. Soon Dawn opened her eyes and the red tint was gone, and then her mind was no longer in a mixed state. Her memories came back, and the more she recalled what happened, the more her eyes opened in terror.

"No!" Dawn yelled unlatching her fangs from Janice's pale body as she stumbled backwards, landing on her posterior onto the grass while shaking her head as tears welled in her eyes. Dawn crept backwards staring at the dead body as her eyes returned to their normal colour and her fangs retracted while she whispered in a hoarse voice, "no… no…." Dawn remembered hurting Buffy, and then hunting the older couple, and then hurting Spike.

And finally, Dawn remembered Janice running away from her before she lay dead on the grass covered ground. "No!" Dawn yelled as she stumbled up to her feet and then dashed forward the next few steps to Janice's side. Dawn got down on her knees as tears fell down her face while she screamed, "Janice! Janice!" Dawn tried to feel for a pulse on Janice's neck as she sobbed out "I'm sorry, Janice.! I'm so sorry!" She then grabbed the lifeless Janice's shoulders and shook her pale body while begging, "Janice! Janice!" However, Janice made no moves… she simply looked up at the stars with her lifeless eyes and open mouth.

Dawn stumbled back sobbing just as Spike reached her, and then skidded to a stop at the scene in front of him- Dawn with her knees tucked close as tears ran down her face and fell down onto the grass, and Janice lying dead on the grass. However, there was something else that concerned Spike… the fact that Dawn was crying. The fact that she had emotions just after being turned. He remembered his own unlife- about how he turned his mother into a vampire. It was done to save her life but he did it without any doubt. He remembered all the other people he then killed… and he had no emotion other than joy for killing them. He killed friends and family- and enjoyed sucking them dry.

"Dawn?" Spike called out as he stared at her with a confused look when she turned her head; her face now human. She continued crying as she turned her head back to Janice and shook her head, "Lil Bit?"

"I killed her," she sobbed covering her eyes with her hands while Spike walked around Dawn and stopped at Janice's side. He was opposite Dawn as he crouched down- Spike was cautiously mindful that Dawn could be a playing a trick on him. That Dawn's actions now were designed to lure him in and then punch him again before she took off for another kill.

But there was a small voice in the back of his mind saying that Dawn was really crying… she was really distraught about what she just did. The truth was that Spike couldn't tell, he couldn't hear Dawn's heartbeat to infer if she was lying or if she really felt saddened by what she did.

And then, as if she was reading his mind, Dawn whispered between sobs while wiping her eyes, "I…. I… remember. I remember, Spike."

"What?" Spike whispered as he stared at Dawn, "what do you remember?"

"Justin bit… bit me.. he… he bit me and… and… I.. I.. I felt he… his blood dripping on my lips," Dawn whispered as she glanced at Janice and then looked away before releasing a sob while tears continued to flow, "I.. I felt hot… so hot. I woke up and everything was a blur. I saw red… I…. I couldn't think. I was so thirsty and…"

"That's what happens when you get turned," Spike whispered before he looked down at Janice and then reached down with his hand and closed her eyelids.

"What have I done?" whispered Dawn between sobs as she stared at Janice's body before looking up at Spike, "what… I… I… Spike, what do I do?"

"I'll take you home, and…"

"Buffy's going to kill me," she whimpered while shaking her head, "she's gonna kill me… she.. she'll kill me…"

"She and Giles are on the way to get Red and Tara to help re-soul you," Spike said before he narrowed his eyes at her, "but… but you're all wrong, pet."

"What.. what do you mean?"

"A vampire with no forehead ridges, a vampire that's crying her eyes out after a kill," Spike shook his head, "no, something's wrong with you, Lil Bit. How do you feel seeing Janice dead?"

"I…."

"Tell me the truth!" growled Spike as he was about to rush at her, but all Dawn did was cover her face with her arms and then fall to her side while yelling "no!". Spike stopped and gauged Dawn's reaction before returning to his crouched position. He only pretended to leap at Dawn, stopping at the last moment from actually going through it. Spike stared in surprise at Dawn lying on the grass as she slowly brought her arms down… the both of them stared at each other for a second before Spike asked, "why didn't you, you know, Vamp out?"

"I… I don't know," Dawn said as she slowly got back to her knees, "I… I don't know."

"Okay, there's really something wrong with you," Spike narrowed his eyes, "I can't hear your heartbeat. Nothing."

"Then… then what…." Dawn shook her head as she tried to gather her thoughts. While she did, her eyes shifted to the dead Janice, "Oh Spike, what… what about Janice?"

"Buffy said her mother called the house saying that the both of you were together," Spike said as Dawn stared at Janice, "and… anyway, I'll come up with something on the way to…"

"I killed her," Dawn whispered, interrupting Spike, while tears gathered in her eyes, "Buffy… Buffy's going to…"

"Buffy's not going to hurt you," Spike said reassuringly. He knew why Dawn was scared, "you're staying by my side all the way to your house. Once there, Tara and Willow will do their thing and return your soul… and then we can figure out why you're not like the other vampires we've gone up against. And we'll come up with an explanation for what happened to Janice."

"But…"

"We're going to get to the bottom of this, Pet," Spike gently said. And all Dawn could do was nod her head silently.

TBC

 


	3. Chapter 3

**The Summers Home, at that same time.**

Willow couldn't understand why Tara was angry at her. She really couldn't.

The both of them got out of the bus, and then got off at the entrance to the neighbourhood where Buffy's home was located.

Even as the two of them walked in silence up the sidewalk to the familiar walkway.

Even as the both of them walked into the Summers home after searching the Bronze and its surrounding area for Dawn. Even after all that, Willow didn't know why Tara, after the redhead closed the door, walked up the stairs without saying a word. Willow looked up at Tara walking away one step after another while thinking, 'all I wanted to do was make it easier to find Dawn,' the redhead thought to herself recalling the conversation where she wanted to shift all those at the Bronze who were not Dawn's age into another dimension.

But Tara was against it. She told Willow that she was using too much magic. Willow knew there were risks in using that spell, and she was willing to take those risks to find her best friend's sister who could very well be in danger. Willow didn't see why Tara was so angry, 'I told her that I just wanted to help find Dawn,' she thought to herself looking up the stairs as Tara turned towards the left, and then stopped.

Willow saw Tara glance at her with a sadness in her eyes before walking away towards their room. And it let Willow even more confused, 'I just want to help, Tara. Why can't you see that? Why can't you..?' Willow left that thought unfinished before turning towards the front door when she heard the sound of screeching tyres, and then the sound of a car door slamming shut. The redhead rushed to the door and then turned the knob before pulling the front door open, only to see Buffy- eyes red and puffy with and cheeks stained with tears- look at her while running up the steps from the drive-way to the porch.

Behind her, Willow saw Giles slamming the door shut just as Buffy released a sob and threw her arms around her neck. Willow returned Buffy's hug while she, with worried eyes when seeing that Dawn was not with them, watched the sad expression on Giles' face. And then she heard Buffy release a sob, the blonde's tears falling onto her shoulder.

"Buffy?" Willows whispered with worry in her voice while she placed her hand on the back of Buffy's head as she trembled while thinking to herself. 'What happened to Dawn? Why are you crying? Did… did… where is she?' As if reading her mind, Giles walked up the steps to the porch and said that a vampire bit Dawn. As Willow's eyes went wide in horror, and as Buffy sobbed loudly on her shoulder, the redhead listened as Giles motioned towards the house while saying that Dawn was turned into a vampire.

"Tara!" yelled Willow, her voice cracking as ears gathered in her eyes while Buffy held on to her. Buffy parted, and the two best friends stared into each other's eyes. The only thought going through Willow's mind, while hearing footsteps for the second floor running to e top of the stairs, was that Buffy never looked as defeated as she did at that very moment.

"Willow?" Tara whispered as she stopped at the middle of the stairs. She was angry at the redhead, so angry that the love of her life was willing to put people at risk that she stewed in the room she shared. At least that's what she wanted to do, she wanted to push back her anger into her very being.. she wanted to calmly explain to Willow that there were dangers in pushing people into another dimension- that yes, it would be easier to find Dawn in a crowd, but the risk remained that not everyone could be returned. But her anger melted away when Tara heard the anguish in Willow's voice.

She ran out of the room, and was hit by sorrow emanating from Buffy, Willow, and Giles as he closed the door behind him. Tara was rushing down the stairs when she stopped at the middle, the emotions were overwhelming as she stared at the anguish in Willow's eyes. She brought her hand to her chest upon realizing that Dawn wasn't with them, and then Tara glanced at the upset Giles.

"Wh.. where's Dawn?" Tara asked as she griped the banister along the stairs, her trembling hand holding on for dear life while she took the last few steps down to the foyer, "Bu… buffy? Giles? Where's Dawn?"

"A vampire bit her, Tara," Giles whispered while tears welled in his eyes, at the same time Buffy parted from Willow and then hugged Tara tightly. Tara wrapped her arms around Buffy while staring at Willow, both women having tears well up in their eyes looking at each other while Giles continued, "she… she was turned. She… she attacked Buffy and then ran away."

"Spike.. Spike… Spike…" Buffy tried to breathe through her sobs as her head lay on Tara's shoulder, 'he.. he's… he's gone.. gone after her."

"He.. he'll find her," whispered Tara in shock as she stared at Willow; their disagreement about the use of Willow's magic pushed to the back of her mind.

"Willow, I.. need you and Tara to go over to the Magic Box, get whatever ingredients you need for the re-ensoulment ritual," Giles said to the only person in modern times to ever re-ensoul a vampire, "I… I should have one last Orb of Thesula in the back office." And before Willow could answer, it was Tara who spoke.

"We'll go right now." Willow stared at her lover in confused silence, but didn't argue as Buffy stepped back from Tara. The blonde witch kissed Buffy's forehead while Giles handed the keys to his car to Willow. The two witches, a few seconds later, rushed out of the front door and to Giles' car.

"Giles?" Buffy whispered as she turned back to look at her former watcher, "what.. what if…? What if Spike couldn't stop her, or… or what if she kills someone before we can help her? Or…"

"Buffy," Giles said just as Buffy opened her tears eyes wide and brought her hands over her mouth in shock. Giles asked what was wrong, and then immediately regretted asking that question as tears ran down her cheeks.

"What if I… what if I have to… to… Giles, what do I do if I have to kill her?" Buffy shook her head and Giles reached out and pulled her in for a hug.

"We'll save her, Buffy," he whispered while staring at the picture of Buffy, Joyce, and Dawn on the mantle behind Buffy. It was happier times, times that he wished would return, "we'll save her."

**The Summers House, forty-five minutes later.**

Dawn could hear them from the end of the walkway where it meets the side-walk. She was standing with Spike, holding his arm tight in fear at what her sister and the others would say, or do to her when she finds out that she killed her best friend. She could hear Spike's whispers that everything was going to be alright and that he wouldn't let anyone harm her- no, Dawn's thoughts were with Janice's buried body near the babbling brook in the park. It was Spike who buried the body, Spike who told Dawn to turn away as he dug the shallow grave and then buried the body, and Spike who gently told her that she was a unique vampire- that she was unlike any other Vampire he had met before.

Her fingers squeezed into Spike's arm. The both of them looked into each other's eyes before Spike nodded his head and whispered, "I'm right next to you, lil'bit."

"What about Janice's mom?" she asked with a guilt-ridden voice.

"Giles will be able to do something," Spike said softly before reiterating that it was not just Giles who would be helping them cover up what happened, "WE – as in all of us - will come up with something."

Dawn stared at Spike, the blood that stained her lips after drinking Janice's blood gone after she washed her face in the brook, and then nodded her head. Turning her head back to the house, Dawn squeezed Spike's arm once again and whispered, "I.. I think I'm ready." Spike nodded his head and the two of them slowly walked up the walkway from the sidewalk. Dawn simply stared at the door while she walked with trembling legs and wondered what would Buffy's reaction be; would she be suspicious of her~ Would she kill her? Would she say that she never wanted to see her sister again? 'Or would she tell me that I'm supposed to be chained up in the basement until she decides what she wants to do with me.' It was the last one that terrified Dawn.

'If she chains me, then I have to see the look of horror on her face when she sees me everyday and… and that's going to break my heart knowing that I disappointed her.' Dawn thought to herself before she suddenly stopped and turned her head towards the surprised Spike, "Spike, I… I don't think I can."

"Lil…"

"Take me away?" Dawn asked, her bottom lip trembling, "I…. I'm scared of what Buffy would say and… and… Spike? Just take me away." Dawn didn't want to say that she was afraid Buffy would kill her… she was afraid to say it in case it came true.

"Dawn," Spike whispered shaking his head. He frowned at the look of terror on Dawn's face before placing a hand gently on her shoulder and saying, "I'll protect you if anyone in there tries to hurt you. But I know they won't, lil'bit." Spike tried to reassure the young woman but she could see that she was afraid. However, he also knew that Buffy deserved to know that her sister was no like other vampires, and the only way was for the Slayer and the rest of the Scoobies to see Dawn with their own eyes. Spike could tell that Dawn was unique- that there was something very wrong with her. `She's not like any other vampire I've ever met,' he thought to himself while feeling Dawn's body tremble in fear, 'she's a vampire and she's still so afraid. If I were her, I'd want to continue feeding until I was full. But then, I'd still feed.. I'd feed until thousands, hundred of thousands… until so many people died.'

Spike then pushed those memories to one side while he looked into Dawn's eyes, "are you hungry?"

"Spike," Dawn shook her head while tears welled up, "how can you ask something like that when…."

"Ae you hungry?" Spike asked.

"I…"

"Dawn, are you hungry?" he repeated with a serious voice.

"A… a little bit but…"

"Vampires that are hungry want to feed," Spike said, "they can't stop. So why aren't you out there killing?"

"Because you're here?" Dawn said "because Buffy may kill me? Because…"

"You stopped feeding on Janice after you told me that ringing in your ears, that red colour over your vision, went away," Spike said while Dawn looked away in shame, "and you're disgusted with yourself when you think about what you did."

"What are you trying to say?" Dawn uttered shaking her head.

"You're unique, Dawn," Spike said, "I told you this before… you are unique."

"I still killed," Dawn whispered.

"And you still feel," Spike gently said looking into her eyes.

"I…." Dawn shook her head.

"Buffy loves you," Spike said.

"Does she love you?" Dawn asked. It was a question that surprised Spike. "You're a vampire too, does she love you?" Before Spike could speak, Dawn stepped forwards and said, "the only reason she loved Angel was because he had a soul." Dawn stared at Spike, "and.. and whatever I am? She won't love me.. I don't have a soul. I… Look, she won't love me because I don't have a soul, just like you don't…."

"Dawn," Spike gently shook the girl by the shoulders, "why do you think I brought you back here? So that Willow and Tara can restore your soul. I swear that Buffy won't hurt you, I swear that Giles won't hurt you, I swear that no one in there will chain you. But if they hurt you, then I'll take you away. And that's a bit if."

"You promise?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah," came the reply as Spike held her hand. The both of them then turned and walked towards the stairs leading to the porch. And Spike then knocked on the door.

Upon hearing the knock on the front door, Buffy who was watching Willow and Tara set up the items for the ritual on the dining room table, stiffened. On the left side of the dining room stood Anya with a notepad in her hands as she watched the items placed on the table while writing out the names of the items and how much they cost, "oh, you're still paying for restoring Dawn's soul," was the explanation several minutes earlier.

Hearing the knock, Anya stopped writing while Willow and Tara stood frozen before turning to Buffy. They weren't expecting anyone to come to the house. In fact, Buffy was waiting to hear from Spike- he was supposed to have captured the feral Dawn before taking her to another location where she couldn't hurt anyone. And Spike contacted them, Buffy and the others were going to set up the soul restoration ritual at the location where Dawn was being held. It was just then that Xander rushed into the living room from the kitchen, and was soon followed by Giles who upon hearing the knock, grabbed two stakes from the cabinet under the kitchen sink and threw one to Buffy.

Buffy whispered at them to stay where they were before she made her way to the door before saying, "who is it?"

"It's me." Buffy stared confused at the door before she proceeded to open it inwards towards the foyer. As she did, Buffy's eyes went wide open before she grasped the stake in her hand tightly.

"Spike? What… what are you doing? Why is Dawn here and… and you know that the arrangement was…"

Buffy stared at Dawn, who looked terrified as she skulked behind Spike who moved to stand between her and Buffy.

"You need to listen, Slayer," Spike said as Dawn held onto his shoulders from behind and stared at Buffy, and then at the stake in her hand, and then at Buffy once again. And if she had a heartbeat, it would be racing right now while she listened to Spike, "listen to me. Does Dawn look any different to you? Does she…."

"Spike," Giles rushed to Buffy's side, "why.. why are you…"

"Dawnie," Willow, Tara, Xander, and the Anya rushed to the door. Dawn saw them all standing behind Buffy… she saw their expressions while Xander told Spike that the plan was for him to contact them once Dawn was secure.

"We have the stuff for the ritual and…"

"We don't need it," Whispered a stunned Tara. Everyone, including Spike and Dawn, stared at her with surprise. The blonde witch walked past Xander, Anya, and then Buffy while Willow called out for her and asked what she was doing.

"Tara," Buffy grabbed her hand. The Slayer stared at Tara, and then at he frightened expression on Dawn's face. The look of fear broke Buffy's heart, but she told herself mentally that this wasn't Dawn. That a demon had taken over Dawn's body and that it was pretending to be her sister. She told herself that she and the others would have to subdue the vampiric Dawn; and the sooner she did it, the better.

She wanted to have her sister back, and the ensoulment ritual was the only option left. So the look that Tara gave was a simple smile.

"Trust me?" Tara asked Buffy.

"Tara, she's a demon," Buffy said, her heart breaking as tears gathered in her eyes while her sights turned to the frightened Dawn, and then back to Tara.

"Tara, Dawn is dangerous, she needs…."

"She won't harm me, she won't harm us," Tara whispered looking at Dawn who slowly moved away from Spike, "I can see." Tara turned back to Buffy and smiled before looking at Willow and saying, "we don't need the ritual." Willow narrowed her eyebrows at her girlfriend in confusion before turning her head to look at a surprised Anya, and then to an equally confused Xander.

"What are you saying?" Spike asked looking at Tara, and then at a confused Dawn.

"Trust me, Buffy," Tara said while looking down at the Slayer's hand grasping her arm, "I'm going to be alright."

Tara looked up at Buffy who then nodded her head. Tara then turned to look at Dawn while Buffy stepped out into the porch alongside Tara, at the same time signalling the others to stay inside where it was safe. Buffy then looked over her shoulder at Willow and mouthed, "I'll make sure she is safe." Buffy then turned to see Tara place her hands on Dawn's cheeks with a grin on her face,

"Tara?" Dawn whispered.

"I can feel it, Dawnie," Tara said, "I can feel your soul."

"Tara?" Buffy asked with her eyes opened in surprise. She then turned to Spike who was just as surprised as her before turning to the tearful Dawn, and then to the other Scoobies behind her. Buffy turned back to look at Tara who was focused on Dawn.

"I.. I can see your aura," Tara whispered, "the.. the dead have no aura but… but you have an Aura. An aura of light mixed with a deep blackness and… and…"

"And?" Dawn whispered through tears that blurred her sight as she stared at Tara. She couldn't believe what Tara was saying, the blonde witch could see her soul. Dawn knew that Tara wouldn't lie to her.. not about something like this, "Tara?"

"I… I see," Tara's eyed stared at the ever shifted red, white, and blue light that made up Dawn's aura, she saw a dark cloud that shifted between the colours of her living aura as well, along with a crackling green energy. "The Key. The… the energy of the Key. It…"

"What are you saying?" Buffy asked in a whisper.

"Dawn has a soul," Tara said before gently pulling the new Vampire in for a tight hug while the others stared in surprise. "I.. I still don't know how but she has a soul."

TBC.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Summers Home, now.**

Everyone stared in stunned silence as Tara continued to hug Dawn tightly. While they gasped with their mouths wide open, they wondered how it was that Dawn, a vampire, already had her soul intact. A stunned Giles thought to himself that it flew in the face of everything he learned as a watcher; a vampire was created from a demon taking over a dead body after being sired.

'It's not possible,' Giles thought to himself as a cautious Willow approached Tara and Dawn. Tara, whose back was to Willow, sensed the redhead and then pulled away from Dawn while placing a hand on her cheek, "it's there, Dawnie. I can see it." Tara then stepped back and then to the side while she glanced at Willow, who locked eyes with her for an instant, before turning back to Dawn. Willow reached back and slipped her hand into Tara's, squeezing gently, before letting go and hugging Dawn.

"I trust Tara," Willow whispered into Dawn's ear. The brunette smiled in relief as tears welled in her eyes at the thought of still not being accepted; at the thought of being killed. But the very person who meant more to Dawn than anyone else still hadn't said anything yet; Buffy just stood there behind the group as Xander patted her shoulder. Then Anya blocked Dawn's line of sight at Buffy when she came up to her after Willow pulled back from her hug.

Dawn stared at Anya who, after pulling back, looked her up and down curiously before saying, "there's still something not right about you, Dawn." Xander was about to say something to Anya, but she continued before he could say anything, "there's something seriously wrong here. This couldn't have happened, it's not supposed to happen."

"What's not supposed to happen?" Spike asked.

"This," Anya motioned at Dawn while her head faced Spike, "a vampire's not supposed to have a soul when they first become a vampire. You know that, Spike."

"Which means that Dawn's unique," Spike said while he strode around Anya and towards Dawn protectively as Tara and Willow stood on the brunettes left side.

Anya then sighed before shaking her head and faced Dawn, "you're not …"

"Stop," Buffy whispered loud enough for Anya to hear. Buffy glared at Anya; the Slayer shared the former vengeance demon's concerns about the Vampire Dawn. Buffy was one of two people who saw Dawn up close when she was a vampire, and what she saw was something she didn't recognize- the hunger in Dawn's eyes was manic. Buffy faced newly risen amperes before, and she was able to dust them without much trouble especially thanks to them being confused about what happened to themselves. That effect lasted for a few seconds before they became hungry… but the hunger she'd seen in the eyes of normal vampires didn't even come close to the hunger that was in Dawn's eyes.

What Buffy saw hours earlier was a look of crazed hunger. Buffy knew she was lucky to have knocked away Dawn, 'but she's still my sister. Oh God, what if.. What if this is a trick and… no. I trust Tara. She says that Dawn has a soul then… then I believe her.' Buffy turned to Giles while Xander hugged Dawn and asked, "Giles, have you ever heard anything about this?"

"If you mean a dead human being who was somehow magically transformed after having been turned into a vampire?" Giles asked while he stared at Dawn as Spike stood protectively by her side. Giles turned his head to look at Buffy who nodded her head at him before saying, "no. I have not, Buffy. This is completely new to me as well."

Buffy then turned her head back to Dawn who locked eyes with her and gave a nervous smile, "find something that explains this, Giles." She whispered before taking a step towards Dawn, "discreetly. She's still my sister." Buffy walked towards Dawn while her mind was arguing with her heart- the mind was saying that Dawn was dead. But her heart was telling her to trust Tara, that this was indeed her sister, 'except she's a bloodthirsty vampire'.

Buffy shook her head before stopping in front of Dawn. She saw into Dawn's eyes and could only see fear now; fear that Buffy would kill her. Buffy reached out and gently placed her hand on Dawn's cheek, 'it's warm' Buffy thought as her eyes widened at her sister, 'Angel's cold, and so's Spike when I… stop don't even when think about it'. Buffy pushed away the thoughts of the last time she and Spike had meaningless sex while reaching around Dawn with her arms and pulling her in. Buffy hugged Dawn tight, and it wasn't before long that she felt wetness streaking down her neck. At first, Buffy thought that maybe it was all a trick, and that Dawn somehow managed to get her fangs through her skin. But Buffy never felt the familiar pain of being bit into, instead, she heard sobs coming off the trembling body she was holding tight.

"I'm so sorry, Buffy," Dawn whispered as the Slayer closed her eyes and ran her left hand through Dawn's hair. The cracking in Dawn's voice brought Buffy to tears as well. And those tears that she had been holding back ever since Dawn 'died' was released as the two sisters cried in one another's arms. While Willow and Tara walked in and hugged the two young women while Anya and Xander looked on, Spike crept past them towards Giles who simply stared at Buffy and Dawn.

"What did you see, Spike?" Giles whispered as the bleached haired vampire stood next to him.

"We can talk about that later," Spike spoke in a serious tone. Giles turned to the Vampire upon recognizing the tone which said that there was no time for kidding around. Giles saw Spike look back at Dawn, and then back at him before saying, "it's about Dawn's friend, Janice."

"What about her?" Giles asked recalling the girl he saved from a vampire back at the park. He then left to search for Dawn, but hadn't checked to see if the girl made it out safe and sound. Suddenly, from the look on Spike's face, Giles knew that that there was news coming that none of them would like, and he suddenly felt sick as his heart pounded in his chest, "Spike? Where's Janice?"

"She's dead," Spike whispered as Giles' eyes went wide.

**An hour later.**

"Hunger took me over," Dawn said as she sat on the couch in the living room after being invited into the house. "I saw red, there was this loud ringing in my ears, I.. I smelled blood." Dawn looked over at Buffy, "when I saw you, Buffy, I.. I was so hungry. So hungry that it took over my whole self. Like I was being pushed to feed on blood. Spike tried to stop me and… and he did save a couple of old people." Dawn then looked away from Buffy while hearing Giles on the phone as he talked to Janice's mother about the two-young woman having been attacked at the park by members of a gang.

Dawn listened as Giles lied on the phone while his heart raced in his chest- it was something that Dawn could hear pounding away. She then looked back at Buffy and continued, "they drove off, but I was so hungry Buffy. Spike had me pinned down and… well… I attacked him."

"I like that part," Xander piped in while Spike growled at the young man before turning to Buffy.

"She did," Spike whispered while nodding his head before he turned his head to Dawn and remembered what she had done to get him off-balanced, and it was something he couldn't describe to Buffy or the others, "and she cheated to get me distracted."

"Distracted?" Buffy asked curiously.

"Doesn't matter," Spike said, "I was distracted and Dawn beat me. By the time I managed to get back on my feet, I lost sight of her. But I followed her scent."

"But it was too late," Dawn whispered while she fidgeted with her fingers looking away from Buffy and the others, "I was running on pure hunger. I couldn't think, I couldn't stop. All I saw when Janice ran towards me was food… I heard her heart, I smelled her blood, and… and I ran at her." Dawn then sniffled and wiped her nose while Giles put the phone down after telling Janice's mother that he would be taking a group to find her daughter, and that they would join the police who Janice's mom said she would be calling, to meet at the park which was the last place Janice was seen.

Giles then walked back into the living room at the tail end of Dawn's revelations of the night, "when I fed on her, the hunger started to go away. I started to actually think. I... I stopped seeing red. The ringing that made me want to scratch my ears off stopped. And… and then I saw what I was doing. I… I tried to wake her up. I thought it was a dream… I thought…" Dawn shook her head as Tara rose up from sitting next to Willow and sat down next to her while Buffy looked up at Giles, and then at her sister.

And as Tara sat down next to Dawn, Buffy could see that Dawn felt alone. 'She was sitting there alone and I was sitting her. I left her alone and… damn it' Buffy thought as she got up and sat next to Dawn and gently grabbed her hand, interlacing their fingers together. Dawn turned her head back to Buffy seated next to her and started to sob as she leaned sideways and placed her forehead on Buffy's shoulder, "I'm sorry Buffy. I… it was like I had no control. I tried to save Janice, I was screaming for her to wake up. I was shaking her body, and…"

"I saw the aftermath, Slayer," Spike whispered as he remembered how distraught Dawn had been while she shook Janice's body, "Dawn was devastated by what happened."

Buffy nodded her head before she looked back at Giles, "what happens now?"

"This is something that could come back to Dawn given she was with Janice," Giles said fixing his glasses, "I suspect the police would want to have a word with Dawn, so we need to have a story in place."

"Gangs?" Buffy said after having heard the conversation between Giles and Janice's mother, "Giles, remember what happened to me and the cops?" Buffy then had a flashback about being arrested for the murder of the former Slayer, Kendra Young, back in the old Sunnydale High library. "Did we really have to get the police…"

"Janice's mother knew that her daughter and Dawn were going to be together since they covered for each other," Giles said after a sigh as he sat down on an armchair, "there's a story I've come up with that Dawn needs to remember, because she will be asked about it. Then, Xander, Spike, and I will meet with the police and Janice's mother, who will be bringing along her husband and older son, to scour the park."

"She'll blame me," Dawn said.

"I am afraid so," Giles answered leaning forward, "but the story is that the both of you were scared. The both of you encountered a gang when you reached the park, and the gang accosted the two of you. The gang then deliberated split you up as you ran away, but you managed to run away from them and came home immediately." Giles continued to give quick details of the story forming in his head before saying, "she'll eventually understand that two scared girls ran away from a gang because they were afraid for their lives. But I'm afraid she may not forgive." Dawn sniffled and nodded her head with a sad expression on her face, "and you won't forget this either, Dawn."

"I know." Dawn replied.

"Memorize the story, I know you're nervous, Dawn... but... but we will figure out what is happening to you," Giles said while standing up, "in the meantime, the police may come to talk to you while we're out, so…"

"We'll go through the details, Giles," Buffy whispered looking up at the Watcher. Giles nodded his head before getting up and then leaving the house with Spike and Xander.

TBC.


	5. Chapter 5

Dawn wished she could hear her heart race, actually she wished her heart would race, as she played with her fingers nervously while sitting next to Buffy on the couch in the living room. Willow and Tara were standing in the corner behind Dawn and Buffy, in the line of sight of the two Detectives from the Sunnydale Police Department who arrived several minutes ago to interview Dawn.

"We knew it was wrong," Dawn whispered looking down at the floor while Buffy placed her hand on the brunette's hands. Dawn remembered the story Giles told her to say, a story that fit in with what really happened that night in some way, "we were supposed to meet two boys who…" Dawn sniffed before looking up and saying that she shouldn't have left Janice behind, "we were so scared… so scared." Dawn then looked away and, with tears in her eyes, turned to Buffy with a look of anguish. Buffy leaned towards Dawn, her previous doubts about Dawn not having a soul having been pushed to one side, and placed her forehead against the cool flesh that covered Dawn's forehead.

"It's alright, you were afraid," Buffy whispered at Dawn, loud enough for the Detectives to hear.

"Miss Summers?" one of the detectives holding a notebook signalled to Dawn to continue as the latter pulled back from Buffy and wiped her eyes before turning back towards them, "who were these boys you and Janice were supposed to meet?"

"Justin and Ben," Dawn whispered, "we were supposed to meet them at the gazebo near the wooden bridge that goes over the stream. But… but…" Dawn then pretended to take a deep breath before wiping her eyes again, "we were walking…. it... it was well lit… and… and we heard footsteps. We looked behind us and…" Dawn looked down on the floor while thinking to herself, 'I died, and then came back to life before killing my best friend.' Dawn looked back up shaking her head before saying, "they were asking us what we were doing out so late. They said that they thought we looked very nice and that…."

"She doesn't have to go into detail, does she?" Buffy asked narrowing her eyes at the detectives.

"We need to know exactly what happened, and we need to know what these people looked like," the younger Detective said leaning forward on his chair while the other one remained leaning back staring at his notebook, "Dawn? Please continue."

Dawn nodded her head before continuing the story, about how the gang took out weapons that shone under the lights along the park walkway they were on, "it… I didn't get a good look but they were holding…." Dawn shook her head as an act, "some kind of a… I guess the only way I could describe it is that it looked like the thing you use in a barbeque. The one with two prongs?"

Willow, Tara, Dawn, and Buffy saw the two detectives looking at each other. And that was the very look that Buffy, Dawn, Willow and Tara expected.

'They're thinking about the barbeque-fork killers,' Willow thought while recalling the newspaper clippings of bodies drained of blood with two holes in the neck. It started from before she met Buffy for the first time. Once she was in the Slayer's circle thought, Willow discovered they weren't a gang killing people with Barbeque-forks, instead the 'gang' was vampires feeding on blood.

Dawn then gave the two detectives a general description of the 'gang members' who chased her and Janice, the very same members who split them up as the two young girls ran screaming away. It would be nearly twenty minutes later that the Detectives finished their interview, and then it would be ten minutes after that that Janice's' body was found face down in a running stream; her body lay as Spike planted it before leaving with Dawn earlier that very night so that it would be found the next morning.

Once the front door was closed, Dawn had her arms around her body as she stood up and looked up at Buffy standing under the light of the foyer. Dawn could see that Buffy was tense, she could hear her sister's heart racing as she turned to look back at her while Willow and Tara stepped forward and placed their hands on either side of the brunette's shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Buffy," Dawn whispered looking at the Slayer.

Buffy sighed and then strode towards Dawn before reaching out and gently holding the brunette's hand, "Tara says you have your soul, Dawn. I… this is…"

"Do you want me to leave?" Dawn asked softly while her eyes locked onto the surprise showing on Buffy's face after the question was said out loud. Willow and Tara then interrupted saying that no one was saying that Dawn had to leave.

"You not going anywhere," Willow said as Dawn looked down at the floor while the Redhead then turned to Buffy, "Buff…."

"You're my sister," Buffy gently tightened her grip on Dawn's hand. Dawn looked up with anguish on her face as Buffy continued, "no matter what… you are my sister. And you're not going anywhere." Dawn couldn't understand what Buffy meant by that last part- she didn't know if Buffy meant 'you're not going anywhere' as a threat or as a sister telling another sister that she was welcome in the home. And Dawn was afraid to ask. Dawn tried to guess from Buffy's heartbeat, but it was still racing.. just as it had been racing the entire time the police were interviewing her.

"We need to know what this means," Buffy continued turning her head towards Willow and Tara, and then back at Dawn, "we need to get some pigs blood, we need to find out why Spike said you're different, and…" Buffy's expression eased from one of worry while she placed her hands on either side of Dawn's cheeks, "and we need to hide this from the Watchers Council."

Dawn nodded her head.

"Can you change?" asked Tara gently, "I mean vamp out?"

"Spike tried to scare me into changing, and I tried to change on my own but… but I…" Dawn then went on to explain she didn't know how she could change. She continued saying that the last time she changed was after her eyes snapped open and she saw red with the ringing in her ears, "and all I wanted was to feed."

"I can check the web for anything like… you know… what happened to Dawn," Willow said.

Buffy nodded her head before noticing a forlorn expression on Tara's face as Willow continued saying she could search for information faster by using her magic to gain access to the web itself. Buffy had many questions about why Tara seemed so worried, but she pushed it to the back of her mind- right now, finding out what happened to Dawn was more important. And the faster Willow started the search, the faster Buffy and the others would know what happened to Dawn.

"Go," Buffy said nodding her head.

"What happens now?" Dawn asked looking at Buffy.

"We'll think of something," the Slayer responded taking a step towards Dawn. She reached out for the brunnete's hand and gently grasped it before continuing to say, "for now? At least until we know what's happening to you, I'm taking you out of school." Buffy could see that Dawn was about to interject but she raised her hand and spoke, "I don't want you near innocents, at least not yet." Buffy saw her sister slump her shoulders at the end of her sentence before realizing that Dawn thought she meant the brunette would hurt people intentionallys. The Slayer had to keep on reminding herself that Dawn seemed different, that the vampires she encountered after they rose would immediate feed to stave off the hunger, and then continue feeding.

'They wouldn't be crying over someone they killed, they wouldn't be standing in front of me without attacking and trying to feed on me,' Buffy gently pulled in Dawn for another hug, 'this is Dawn. This is my Dawnie.'

"You're my Dawnie," Buffy said out into Dawn's ear. She felt Dan hold her tight while continuing, "you're my sister. I… I can only guess that you won't hurt innocents unless you lose control when you et very hungry."

"At least that's the hypothesis in my head," Willow said whole Tara smiled innocently at Dawn.

Dawn nodded her head hugging Buffy while saying, "I want to know why I'm like this."

"We'll find out," Tara answered while Buffy rubbed circles on Dawn's back, "I promise."

"But for right now, I need you at home," Buffy, who wanted to believe that Dawn was no danger to anyone, mentally kicked herself. While she told Dawn that they would need to come up with a system where she would get animal blood while finding a way for her to still go to school, Buffy was mentally telling herself, ' _she's still dangerous. She's Dawn… I know in my heart she's still Dawn but she's also a vampire. Which means she's dangerous.'_  Buffy tightened her hug, pulling Dawn into her, "we'll make everything okay."

Dawn closed her eyes and held onto Buffy tight. She suspected that Buffy was trying to make her feel better. Dawn could feel it in her very self that nothing was going to be okay, ' _it's gonna be different. I don't know if it is going to be ever okay.'_

"How about you go up and get some rest," Buffy said pulling away slowly out of the hug unto she was looking into her sister's eyes.

"Ummm.. Buff?" Willow said before everyone turned towards her, "how about the sunlight?" Willow then turned to Tara and back to Buffy and Dawn, "her bed faces the window. And when the rises comes up… well…"

"I go poof," Dawn whispered at Willow before looking towards Buffy who was now deep in thought.

"We could cover your window with newspapers," Buffy suggested staring at Dawn, and then at Willow and Tara, and then back at Dawn, "but that'll mean you can't see what's going on outside and… well, you'll be living in the dark."

"And then there's the thing with the sunlight that's coming through these windows," Tara said motioning towards the windows in the living room and dining room. She saw that Buffy, Willow, and Dawn were looking at the windows and then at each other with the realization that even if Dawn wanted to leave her room, she could only do so once the sun had set since the windows would let sunlight into the home.

Dawn then said with a hint of disappointment in her voice, "and we can't paper over all the other windowd or else people will think we're a group of crazy people."

"How can we be sure that the sunlight will affect Dawn?" Anya said out of the blue before everyone turned to her.

"She's a vampire," Buffy reminded the former vengeance demon.

"Not really," Anya said motioning at Dawn, "she's clearly something different or else she'll be attacking all of us right now. Who knows what else could b different about her."

"You're saying she can walk out in the sunlight without turning to dust?" Tara asked while Dawn and Buffy stared at each other with expressions of disbelief and awe at that particular prospect. It was something that hadn't thought about. She and Willow assured Buffy and Dawn that they were going to check if whatever it was that happened to Dawn had happened to others. The then told Buffy and Dawn that there could be more changes that the brunette former-Key could expect. ' _But being able to walk out in sunlight was one we didn't think…. Or at least I didn't think.'_  "We'll start searching," Tara nodded her head before she and Willow rushed off to the reading room where the redhead's computer was located. In the meantime, Buffy then turned to Anya and asked her to get some newspapers from the basement so that they could cover every inch of the windows in Dawn's room. After Anya had left, Buffy then turned back towards Dawn.

And she hugged her sister once again.

"We're going to make sure that you never lose control, Dawnie," Buffy whispered. And she meant it.

TBC.


	6. Chapter 6

Dawn slowly sat up on her bed after having laid down and spent the past three hours staring at the ceiling of her room. She was supposed to have slept by now, after all it was one in the morning and her usual bed time was ten… sometimes she would push it to ten-thirty before Buffy got bossy. But now things were different, Dawn was different. She could hear the heartbeats of both Willow and Tara if she concentrated enough—the both of them had been working quietly, their fingers tapping on the keyboards of their laptop typing away to search the internet for any incidents where something like what happened to Dawn happened to others.

'I don't hear anything now,' whispered as she looked to her left, and towards the door leading out to the hallway, 'I just hear heartbeats. Very slow rhythmic heart beats.' Earlier, she had heard Willow about to say something, but Tara whispered instead, interrupting the redhead.

"Dawn may hear us," Tara had said an hour ago. Dawn frowned at the tone that the woman who was just like a mother figure for her, especially for the eight months after Buffy's death, and wondered if there was something wrong.

'Why is Tara angry at Willow?' Dawn thought to herself, 'wait, is she angry?' She had to be honest with herself and admit that she thought Tara only sounded angry, 'or is it something else?' Dawn was angry herself, angry at the fact that she had to get used to her new life.. or rather her new unlife, 'And I have to live with what I did to Janice.' Dawn then looked away from the door, and to the newspaper covered windows that would prevent sunlight from streaming into her room, 'and that's the other thing. No more sunlight.' Looking down at her arms, Dawn was still surprised at her visual prowess, especially at night where she could see her arms and her room clearly as if it was day, 'aww, now I'll never be able to get a tan.'

Dawn then crossed her arms over her chest and huffed, 'great, I'll be sixteen forever. Which means Buffy can say, "hey, no sex forever!" or "no Drinking, forever!" Dawn shook her head before she looked back towards the door, 'Buffy's still out there.' Dawn wanted to be out there fighting vampires with Buffy since it would distract her from her current situation. She could feel her muscles aching to do the moves that vampires seemed to automatically receive after they were sired, and it made her wonder how that could even be possible.

'Another quirk of being a demon, or possessed by a demon,' Dawn thought to herself as she looked up and directly at the window in front of her. 'I want to do something to help Buffy, I know I can. But I also know Giles and Buffy are right. I need to get used to this.' Dawn then looked away from the window, her face expressing regret, 'I need to make sure that what happened to Janice doesn't happen to Buffy or anyone else.'

'Somehow I still have a soul, maybe I can ask Buffy to ask Angel to help me?' Dawn sighed, the action a simple instinctive reaction since she didn't have any breath in her lungs, 'oh, and if I go back to school somehow, then I need to remember to pretend to breathe.'

Shaking her head, Dawn turned her body until she was facing the door and the she pushed herself off and stood up on the soft cream coloured carpet in her room. She walked over to the door, and ignoring the fact that she couldn't see her reflection on her dresser's mirror.

'And Buffy has to help me make sure that what I wear complement's each other,' Dawn thought as she stepped out in to the hallway after gently closing the door behind her. She walked over to the top of the stairs and then down to the foyer before making her way silently into the living room. It was completely empty except for the reading room in the rear where both Tara and Willow were sleeping on opposite sides. The laptop screens were still raised while the two witches had their heads resting on folded arms which were on the table top.

'Xander and Anya must have gone home,' Dawn thought as she stepped back and turned towards the foyer again. She walked into the dining room, and then into the kitchen. She could smell the blood in the fridge, 'Buffy came back with it earlier,' and then Dawn gently opened the door to the backyard. Closing the door softly after stepping onto the rear porch, Dawn stared out at the starry night sky and sat down on one of the steps that led down to the grassy yard.

"So, what happens now?" Dawn whispered as she looked away from the sky and back down towards the grass. Suddenly, she saw someone from the corner of her eye. She turned her head and immediately stood up before rushing down then remaining two steps only the grass with her eyes wide open. She grabbed the wooden railing and stared at the figure taking another step towards her from the dark, and into the light being shone by the porch lighting.

"Janice?" Dawn shook her head as the figure emerged under the soft white light. 'She died, I killed her.'

"How does it feel to kill your best friend?" Janice whispered as she put her hand on her hips. Dawn noted, through the disbelief etched on her face, that Janice was wearing the same clothes as when she died, "and don't deny it, Dawn."

"Jan…." Dawn stopped when 'Janice' continued.

"I came to you for help," Janice growled in anger as she leaned forward slightly, "that… thing… that vampire attacked me and then the old guy saved me. But all I could think off was that you'd be with a monster too."

'Giles,' Dawn thought as she raised a hand to her chest and stepped back, her legs trembling, 'she's talking about Giles. He saved her… he already told me. And then.. then she ran for me and… and she ran to me for help and… and I killed her.'

"So, I ran to you," Janice said with an enraged expression on her face, "and what happened? You betrayed me!"

"I… no…" Dawn whispered as she shook her head, 'I did betray her. I was hungry… so very hungry that… that I killed her. I killed her.'

"You killed me," Janice hissed angrily, "you killed me, you took away my future… you took me away from everyone I ever loved!"

"I… I'm sorry," Dawn said in a low voice, "I'm sorry, I…."

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Dawnie," Dawn cringed at how Janice called out her name with deep spite, "you're a monster now…"

Dawn shook her head, she was shaken to her very core as she replied in a shaky voice, "Buffy and Giles, Tara and Willow, Xander and Anya, Spike… they.. they'll help me. They'll make sure that…"

"You lost control before you killed me," Dawn cringed when Janice said that as tears went down the formers cheeks, "you were like an animal…"

"Stop," Dawn whispered shaking her head.

"You are an animal," Janice growled as Dawn, turned away and closed her eyes willing for the ghost to go away. But the voice was still there, whispering into her ears, "you will always be an animal. You will kill Buffy and everyone you love. You know this. I know this."

"No," Dawn whimpered as she went on her knees and covered her ears. Dawn thought she was prepared to face the world as what she was, she thought she could get over the fact that she killed her best friend; she thought that the death would be something she'd mourn, and then she would remember her while moving forward. After all, that's what happened with the death of Joyce Summers.

But this was different, she was the one who killed Janice. She was the one who brutally murdered her. She was the monster. And images of Dawn killing Buffy, Willow, and the others came into the former's mind.

"No," Dawn repeated, shaking her head, pushing aside the look of betrayal on Buffy's face after feeding on her blood.

"If you love your family," Janice hissed in Dawn's ear, "kill yourself. Go to the highest point in Sunnydale, and kill yourself."

"I…"

"Save your family from what you did to me," Janice growled in Dawn's ear, the latter breaking out in sobs, "you're a monster who couldn't control herself. Have you thought about what would happen if you succumbed to that hunger? That same hunger that consumed you… the one that killed me?"

"Buffy wouldn't let that happen to me."

"HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT IT?" screamed Janice as Dawn shook her head, uncovered her ears, and rose to her feet. Her back was still to Janice, her head was low, and her shoulders trembled. "Tell me the truth!"

"I have," Dawn turned around and wiped the tears from her eyes, "I have."

"And you want to put them all in danger," Janice spit out with barely concealed disgust.

"They'll find out what's happened to me, and… and they can…"

"No one can fix you, Dawn," Janice said shaking her head, "you will always be a danger to them, and to the people around you."

"I can learn to control…."

"And what happens when you lose control again?" Janice sneered, "can you imagine the look on your sister when she has to kill you? What do you think that would do to her?"

"It… it…" Dawn had thought about it. The brunette was confident she could control her urges, but now she was wondering what would happen if she lost control again. This was still new to her – she could still feel Buffy and the others fear her slightly; of course, Anya's revelation that Dawn had her soul helped eased the suspicion somewhat. But Dawn was aware of her own loss of control several hours ago.

The result of that was staring at her right now.

"How do you think your sister would feel if she has to kill you?" Janice growled, "you think she won't blame herself? What would she do when she's out slaying? I imagine that killing you would have an effect on her… she'd get distracted.. maybe die on patrol one day. All because she had to use her hands to kill you. Her monster sister."

"Shut. Up!" Dawn growled. She felt power rush through her as her fangs extended and her vision become more focused when her eyes yellowed, "I will protect her, and…"

"You will kill her, Dawn," Janice said shaking her head in disappointment, "either by losing control, or when she has no choice but to kill you. Do her a favour and just… just leave this world.

Thanks to her outburst Dawn could already hear chairs scraping as two hearts suddenly beat faster. She could hear Willow and Tara asking each other if they heard a noise before rushing to the stairs to go up to the second floor; to Dawn's room.

"You killed me, Dawn," a sadness overtook Janice as she looked away, "and now you'll kill the people you love." And she vanished, leaving Dawn alone in the backyard while her vampire features, except the forehead ridges, were showing.

It was at that time that the door to the backyard swung open, "Dawn, where… oh." Dawn was facing the open door where Willow stepped out, followed by Tara, onto the deck. The two of them saw Dawn's vampire face with the porch light shining down for a second before she spun around, her back towards them now.

'She doesn't look like any normal vampire I've seen,' Willow thought, while her face still showed her surprise. As did Tara.

"Dawnie?" Tara was the first to speak a second later. She approached Dawn, her hand reached out before landed gently on her shoulder as she walked down the steps and stood just behind her, "can't sleep?"

Dawn shook her head while willing herself to retract her fangs. However, she couldn't retract them, "don't see me. Don't see my face."

Willow sighed before taking a few more steps forward until she was standing next to Tara. "Dawnie, we saw and we're not afraid."

"Willow's right," Tara said as she gently squeezed Dawn's shoulder, "it's going to be alright, Dawnie."

Dawn shook her head. What Janice said was ringing in her ears. She was a danger, and now she couldn't even control her changes. She guessed that her fangs extended and her vision became sharper and more focused because she was emotional – she was enraged at Janice only a few seconds ago. But now, even with her gone, and Dawn believing herself to have calmed down, her vampire façade was still active.

She couldn't control it. And that brought up Janice's words to the forefront of her mind once again, 'if I can't control this, what if drinking blood just doesn't do it? What if I have to drink more and more? What if I attack Buffy? What if I kill her?' And Dawn paled at that thought, 'or what if Buffy, or Willow, or Tara has to kill me?' Dawn couldn't stand to think what would happen to her sister if he had to kill her, 'what if Janice is right? Do… do I take the risk? What… what if I become a danger? Anya said I'm different so… so what if I'm different enough to become a danger?'

Dawn wanted to leave. She needed to be alone. She needed to think.

So, instead of going back into the house, Dawn shrugged off Tara's hand on her shoulder and took off running. While hearing Willow and Tara run after her, Dawn leaped over the fence and into the neighbour's yard. And then she kept on going, leaping over one fence, and then another.

Meanwhile a worried Tara and Willow stood in the backyard.

"Call Buffy, Will," Tara said rubbing the back of her head, "we need her back here."

As the two witches walked back towards the house, Janice reappeared. She watched them close the door behind them before she looked back out the direction Dawn left. A smile came on her face as her form shifted to the very image of a teenage Buffy. She crossed her arms over her chest and smirked, "well, if it doesn't work the first time. Break the Slayer on the second try." The image of Buffy chuckled before she vanished.

TBC.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thousand Oaks Cemetery.**

Buffy stepped back, the fingers on her hand gripping the wooden stake as she lowered her arm while the vampire she just staked just turned to dust as he was falling down onto the ground. She frowned at the dust still settling down onto the ground before putting the stake back into the inside pocket of her jacket in this unusually chilly Sunnydale night. She then looked up and scanned the surrounding gravestones with her eyes before turning around and trudging away, her mind going back to her vampirized sister. 'Is vampirized even a word?' she thought to herself as she continued putting one foot in front of the other, her boots crushing the grass on the hard ground.

The blonde Slayer took a deep breath while mentally telling herself that her initial reluctance to believe that Dawn was nothing more than a danger was understandable; Dawn attacked her, Dawn already killed someone – her best friend, and now Dawn the vampire was in their home. However, it was Tara's insistence that Dawn had a soul which turned her mind around and it wasn't just Tara… not really… despite her initial doubts, Buffy had to believe that her sister was still somewhere in there. And when Tara confirmed Dawn still had her soul, the Slayer felt slightly at ease.

'She has a soul,' Buffy thought to herself as she walked, her hands shoved into her coats side pockets. She trusted Tara and believed that Dawn did indeed have her soul, but even more questions swirled in her mind, 'but what does that mean? Is she like Angel?'

Buffy thought back to her ex-boyfriend, 'but Angel was a soulless vampire before his soul was returned to him. But Dawn… Dawn didn't lose her soul, she still has it..' and then Buffy remembered how Dawn looked when she vamped out at her… when she attacked the Slayer after being sired, 'there were no forehead ridges, just the yellow eyes and fangs. I've never seen anything like that, even Dracula had ridges on his forehead.'

Buffy frowned as her mind raced for an explanation for why Dawn was different than other vampires, 'different is good. I guess.' Buffy didn't want to kill her sister, she really didn't, 'she has a soul,' Buffy reminded herself, 'so anything that makes her different from a regular vamp has to be good. Now we need to find out why she went all berserker, and… and we need to find out if there is any other way that she's different.'

Buffy sighed again before she gasped as she stopped walking. She felt her cell phone, something that she had completely forgotten she had with her, vibrate in her rear jeans pocket. She reached back as the phone hummed for another second before the ringtone went off. She then pulled it out of her pocket, and then stared at the caller ID.

"Home," she whispered before flipping the device open and automatically connecting the call before placing the phone to her ear.

"Hey," Buffy answered while starting to walk once again towards the cemetery exit.

"Buffy," Buffy stopped walking at hearing Willow's worried voice, "listen, Dawn just ran out of here... I mean she ran away and… and we don't know why."

"She looked scared, Buffy," Tara said as Buffy realized that the call was on speakerphone back her her home, "she saw us and just ran."

Buffy's heart raced as she said, "please tell me you have a location spell ready."

"Duh," Willow said over the phone while Tara was mumbling something incoherent in the background, "Tara's performing the spell and… hold on… Tara, do you have anything?"

Buffy was already running towards the exit, her heart still racing at the thought that Dawn was somewhere out in the city. She didn't know what she was more worried about; that Dawn could become hungry and go out of control, 'maybe that's what caused her to go berserk and attack me and Janice?' Buffy frowned at that possibility before her mind went to the fact that if they didn't find Dawn soon, then the sun rising over the horizon in a few more hours would mean they would never find her, 'she'll be dust.'

Buffy was already running out of the cemetery and through the parking lot as she made her way out of the compound. "Willow," Buffy said as she continued to run, her shoes making audible thumping sounds as they impacted the sidewalk, "where is she?"

**The Summers Residence; that same time.**

Tara was staring down at the lights on the cloth that represented the map of Sunnydale; there were markers for the Summers home, a blue dot for Buffy which indicated that the Slayer was running away from the cemetery while another pale blue dot, signifying Dawn, was already out of the neighbourhood and moving at a furious pace towards the Eastern section of Sunnydale. Tara looked back up at Willow and said that Dawn was running towards the downtown area, which meant that Buffy was at least an hour away on foot.

"Buffy," Willow said looking back at the wireless phone station where the red light, indicating that the Speakerphone was active, continued to blink, "did you hear that?"

"Yeah," she yelled on her phone as she continued running, "Willow, Tara, I'm heading downtown, in the meantime, I need you two to take the Jeep and go after her."

"Of course," Tara nodded her head as she folded the cloth on the floor, causing the lights to go out as she stood up and, with the cloth in her hand, rushed to the table next to the door while Willow told Buffy that she'll call her once Dawn's back at home. The redhead put the phone down just as Tara picked up the car keys from the glass bowl.

"Let's go," Tara said opening the front door while Willow grabbed the housekeys before the two of them rushed out, the redhead locking the door once the stepped out onto the porch. It wasn't long before Tara, who ignited the Jeep's engine, waited for Willow to hop into the black vehicle before reversing it onto the driveway.

After Willow put on her seat belt as Tara pressed down on the accelerator, Tara handed the redhead the piece of cloth which was then unfolded. The lights representing Buffy and Dawn appeared once again as Willow used a simple spell to make the cloth float over her thighs. She stared at the light that represented Dawn before mumbling a spell which caused two purple lights, representing the two of them, moving away from the house.

"She's fast!" Willow said.

Tara's eyes glanced at the map before settling back out the windscreen, "I have a turn coming up, do I take it?"

Willow watched the light that represented Dawn moving at the opposite direction away from them before she nodded her head, "turn here, and then go straight, and then take the fifth left."

**Dawn's location, five minutes later.**

What Janice's ghost exclaimed earlier rang through Dawn's head – the latter was the one who killed her. It was Dawn who went out of control and posed a threat to Buffy and the people they loved. As Dawn ran down the street, now several blocks away from home, she thought back to Janice... and then imagined Buffy, Tara, Willow, Xander, Giles, Anya, and Xander standing in a circle around her whispering that she should have listened to the ghost of Janice and simply killed herself before she could ever become a threat.

"Even with a soul," Dawn heard Janice whisper in her ear even though the former glanced all around her as she ran but didn't see anyone. It was late at night, Dawn thought to herself, while reminding herself that everyone… well, mostly everyone… had gone to sleep. Still, Dawn heard Janice enraged voice as she referred to Dawn's soul, "you still went out of control. You hurt Buffy, you killed me. You animal! You are an ANIMAL!"

Dawn felt tears well up on her eyes as she ran out of the neighbourhood and down onto the main road. The streets were empty as she ran, the homes around her were darkened, and she was alone. She felt the breeze rush past her as she ran without the need to breathe, or her chest hurt as he heart raced- she had none of that now. She didn't feel her legs burn as she ran faster, she didn't feel herself being held back by a need for water or a need to sweat. Dawn just ran.

She wanted to scream out loud that it was unfair. She wanted to scream out that she would never hurt the people she loved. Even Buffy had admitted that Dawn was her sister, and that she would look out for her, 'but I'm a vampire. I lost control. I lost all my control and… and felt like an animal.'

"I… I can't stay…" Dawn whispered as she recalled Janice telling her that to prevent her from hurting anyone again that she needed to kill herself. "Anywhere I go, I'm a danger," she whispered, "Is… is just waiting for the sunrise…"

Suddenly, Dawn stopped running and spun around just as she heard the sound of an engine coming towards her direction. She shook her head before turning back to the direction she was heading and ran as fast as she could, 'I'm dangerous. What if I lose control again? What if I hurt Buffy? Or Willow? Or Tara?' Dawn didn't even feel tired, nor did her joints ache as she ran while the deep growl of the car engine came closer and closer before she heard a female voice.

"Dawnie!"

Dawn ran faster while ignoring the moving vehicle right next to her.

"Dawnie!"

Dawn closed her eyes and ran faster. But Willow and Tara's voice still rang out from the open window of the Jeep next to her.

"Dawnie! What's wrong?" Tara asked.

"Please, Dawn, talk to us." Willow said putting the cloth away into the glove compartment before looking out through the drive-side window, "come home, Dawn."

Dawn stopped running and then turned back towards the Jeep with a look of sadness on her face as tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. She watched as the vechicle screeched to a stop before the doors opened wide and both Tara and Willow rushed out. Dawn could already imagine going out of control – that she extended her fangs and then leapt at Willow first, snapping her neck before moving onto Tara and then sinking her fangs into the blonde witch's neck.

"You will always be a monster," Janice's voice whispered in her ear as Dawn stepped back before Tara pulled her in for a tight hug. At the same time, Willow placed a hand on her shoulder before circling her arms around her girlsfriend and Dawn. As she closed her eyes, Dawn felt their bodies tighten around her while a crackle of laughter sounded so close t o her ear that it brought a shiver up her spine.

"Sweetie," Tara whispered while she and Willow were hugging Dawn, "what happened? Why did you run off like that?"

"I…." Dawn sniffled before saying, "I… I saw Janice… I saw Janice's ghost and… and she said that I… I can go out of control and kill you. I can kill…"

"You won't kill indiscriminately, Dawnie," Willow whispered before she kissed the top of the blonde's head, "you have a soul. You have…"

"But I nearly killed Buffy, I killed Janice… I… I could kill so many more people before… before Buffy… Buffy has to…" Dawn stopped talking as she released a sob; her thoughts now filled with herself screaming in anguish while being covered in blood from head to toe as the bodies of all the people she loved lying dead around her, "I'm a danger. I have to… I can't stay like this… I need to.. I need to…"

"You need to come home," Tara whispered before pulled back and then going down on her knees. The young woman then wiped the tears away from Dawn's cheeks before continuing to say, "we think you went out of control because you were just sired and you needed blood. We think that you need to drink blood a few times so that you don't go out of control. We have some of Spike's stash of pigs blood in the basement fridge, we can use that to keep your hunger at bay."

"I hate this," Daw whispered shaking her, turning away from Tara to Willow who was kneeling on the ground, "Willow, I hate this. I hate…" Dawn closed her eyes and shook her head before whispering, "I'm afraid. I'm afraid that… that no matter what I will go out of control. That I will kill… I… I have to.. I hate stay under the sun… I need to…"

"No," Willow said, her hands now grabbing Dawns arms and gently shaking her, "never ever think that, do you understand me."

Tara was confused as she stared at Willow, and then back at Dawn whose lower lip was trembling as she looked awy from the redhead and back towards her. 'What did Willow mean?' Tara wondered before she placed a hand on Dawn's shoulder and said, "come back home, Dawnie. Whatever's happened to you isn't as bad as you think… you have a soul, and you are in control."

"But…."

"You have family who love you, sweetie," Tara said with a small smile on her face, "whatever happens next…"

"I'm scared that I'll lose control again," Dawn whispered looking at Tara, "I've been seeing…" Dawn closed her eyes while a part of her mind was telling her that everyone would think she was crazy.

"You've been seeing what?" Willow asked.

"People…" Dawn whispered as Willow's face took on a serious look. Dawn noticed this, as did Tara who narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"Will?" Tara asked.

"What people?" Willow asked gently, but not before asking Tara to hold off on any questions until Dawn told them about what she had been seeing, "and for how long?"

"It.. it was just now," Dawn whispered, "when I was in the backyard."

"Who did you see?" Willow asked.

"I… I saw Janice… I mean I saw her ghost… I.. I think she's haunting me, and…" Dawn then went on to repeat what Janice's ghost told her about how much of a danger she was going to be to her family and friends. Dawn told Tara and Willow that Janice had told her that in order to protect everyone, Dawn had to go to the highest point in Sunnydale and wait for the sun to rise, "I… I…"

"Oh Dawnie," Tara whispered before kissing the side of her head. She then looked into Dawn's eyes after gently lifting the latter's head with a finger under her chin, "we're family. If there is any thing you wanna talk about, you can come to us. You're not alone."

"You're not, Dawnie," said a slightly worried Willow. Dawn turned her head towards the redhead upon hearing her heart racing. The brunette narrowed her eyes in confusion before asking if there was something wrong.

"Your heart's beating really fast, Willow," Dawn spoke. Tara looked over at the redhead and noticed the distant look on her face as well.

"Will? What is it?"

Willow sighed before looking at the Jeep, and then back to her lover and her best friend's sister, "we need to go home. Buffy will explain everything once she gets back."

TBC.


End file.
